Smoking device



May 14, 1963 MAGOICHI usul SMOKING DEVICE Filed NOV. 22, 1961 UnitedStates Patent 3,089,498 SMOKILIG DEVICE Magoichi Usui, 102 Kamafue-cho,Ogaki-shi, Japan Filed Nov. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 154,117 1 Claim. (Cl.131-209) This invention relates to smoking devices and more particularlyto a new and improved construction of the stem portions of smoking pipesand of devices for holding cigarets or cigars.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improvedstem construction as stated above wherein the smoke flow path isconsiderably lengthened so as to cause progressive cooling of theflowing smoke and gases, whereby such instances therein as nicotine andtars, which are harmful if inhaled excessively into the human lung, arecaused to be deposited on the walls of the said smoke flow path and beremoved thereby without appreciable reduction of the qualities of thesmoke producing smoking pleasure.

It is another object to provide such a stem construction as stated inthe above object which is compact and enclosed within a volume of lengthand lateral dimensions which do not exceed those of conventional pipestems enclosing filter elements.

It is a further object to provide such a stem construction as stated inthe foregoing objects which is relatively simple, easily andeconomically manufactured, easilydisassembled for cleaning and easilyreassembled by the user.

The foregoing objects, other objects, and advantages of the presentinvention have been achieved by the stem construction of the presentinvention, the details of which will be apparent by reference to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingillustrations in which the same and equivalent parts are designated bythe same reference numerals and letters, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a lateral view, partly in longitudinal section, showing arepresentative embodiment of the stem construction according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a lateral view, in longitudinal section, showing furtherdetails of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a lateral, enlarged view showing one end of a helicalpartition suitable for the embodiment of FIG. 1, said end being thatnearest the intake side of the stem; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the helical partition shown in FIG.3.

For the purpose of simplicity, the following detailed description willbe limited to the construction according to the invention as applied toa cigaret holder, but it will be understood that other applications, forexample, to smoking pipes in the bowls of which tobacco is burneddirectly, are possible.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cigaret holder illustratedhas a socket head 1 in which a socket opening 2 for holding a cigarethas been formed. A smoke passage 3 is provided at the downstream end ofthe socket opening 2 and communicates with a tapered opening 4 havingthe form of a truncated cone. The inner end of the socket head 1 isreduced in diameter and provided with external screw threads 5 whichengage with internal threads on an outer hollow cylinder 8. A monthpiece9 provided with a smoke passage is similarly screwed into the other endof the outer cylinder 8 by means of threads 11. In assembled state, thesocket head 1, outer cylinder 8, and mouthpiece 9 form the outerstructure of the cigaret holder.

An inner hollow cylinder 6 is so disposed that its head portion 7, whichis in the form of a truncated cone, fits snugly into the tapered opening4 of the socket head 1. This inner cylinder 6 is retained in place andencompassed at its shank part by a helical partition 12 which, in turn,is held by elastic force exerted by a compression spring 21, which isseated, at its other end, in the bottom of a recessed well 9a formed inthe upstream end of the aforesaid mouthpiece 9.

The helical partition 12 is made of synthetic resin sheet material orany other suitable, thin-sheet material having elastic properties. Itsgeneral form is that of a cylindrical bellows, open at one end andclosed at the other, its longitudinal wall being formed into a helicalconfiguration of alternately spiralling ridges and spiralling valleys.Its outer diameter, as measured at the outer peak of the said ridge, ismade to be slightly less than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder8, while its inner diameter, as measured at the inner part 14 of thebottom of the said valley, is made to be slightly greater than the outerdiameter of the shank part of the inner cylinder 6. In the vicinity ofthe open end of the helical partition 12, the cylindrical form thereofis reduced, at one portion, for example, the right hand side 13 (asviewed in FIG. 1), to a diameter which is intermediate between thediameter at the valley 14 and the outer diameter at the ridge. The saidportion is made to be the starting point of the helical valley line, andthe valley is made to become progressively more shallow toward theopposite side, for example, the left hand side 15, until the said valleyfinally disappears at the portion 15. A desired number of holes 16 forpasing smoke are formed in the wall of the helical partition 12 in theregion of the right hand side 13. With this configuration, only theinitial semi-circle assumes the form of a screw A.

The opposite, closed end of the helical partition 12 is similarlyformed, whereby only the initial semi-circle at this end assumes theform of a screw B. The extreme closed end of the helical partition 12 isso formed in the shape of a protruding bottom 20 as to fit into the endof the aforesaid spring 21. The extreme open end of the helicalpartition 12 is provided with a rim 17 which, in assembled state,encompasses the root portion of the shank of the inner cylinder 6 and ispressed, by the elastic force of the spring 21 by way of the partition12, against the shoulder of the head portion 7 of the inner cylinder 6.It will be apparent that the above-described construction aifords secureand aligned retention of the helical partition 12 and inner cylinder 6in their correct, coaxial positions.

The operation of a cigaret holder of the above-de scribed constructionwill now be described. The smoke drawn in from a cigaret fitted into thesocket opening 2 flows successively through the socket opening 2, smokepassage '3, and the inner passage of the inner cylinder 6 and reachesthe closed end of the helical partition 12. From this closed end, thesmoke passes through the region b at the termination of the helicalridge and the space between the screw portion B whioh is not in contactwith the inner cylinder 6 and enters through the region b into thehelical passage formed by the inner surface of the helical partition 12and the outer surface of the inner cylinder 6. The smoke next flowsthrough a helical path through this helical passage toward the open endof the helical partition 12, where it flows through the region a and thespace in the special screw portion A which is not in contact with theinner cylinder 6 and enters the cylinder portion a,,. The smoke thenpasses through the holes 16 of the cylinder portion a and enters thehelical passage formed by the helical partition 12 and the outercylinder '8. The smoke tends to flow through the helical path formed bysaid helical passage until it reaches and flows through the portion C ofthe outer cylinder 8, thereafter passing through the smoke passage 10 ofthe mouthpiece 9, into the mouth of the smoker.

By the albove-described construct-ion the total length of the passagethrough which the smoke is caused to flow from the cigaret to themouthpiece is greatly lengthened, whereby harmful substances such asnicotine and tars in the smoke are progressively cooled and caused to beremoved from the smoke by deposition on the walls of the passage withoutappreciable reduction of the qualities of the smoke producing smokingpleasure.

Furthermore, the above-described construction enables the internal partsof the smoking device to be taken out and completely disassembled forcleaning by merely unscrewing and removing only one of either the sockethead 1 or the mouthpiece 9, and by unscrewing the other end part, allparts are completely disassembled.

While only one embodiment has been described in connection with acigaret holder, it will be obvious that a similar construction can beapplied to other smoking devices such as a smoking pipe of the type witha wood, ceramic, or metal bowl for burning of pipe tobacco directlytherein or a cigar holder.

Since it is also obvious that many changes and modifications can be madein the above-described details without departing from the nature andspirit of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the details described herein except as set forth inthe appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a smoking article of the type having a mouthpiece at one end and asocket head for holding means for burning tobacco at the other end, theconstruction of the stem portion between said mouthpiece and socket headwhich comprises: an inner hollow cylinder having a tubular shank and ahead portion of the shape of a truncated cone which fits snugly into acorresponding tapered opening in the said socket head; an outer hollowcylinder joined at one end to said socket head and at the other end tosaid mouthpiece to form the outer structure of the stem portion; ahelical partition made of thin-sheet material having elastic propertiesand formed to resemble a cylindrical bellows, open at one end and closedat the other, its longitudinal wall being of helical configurationconsisting of spiralling ridges and spiralling valleys so that saidouter cylinder is disposed concentrically about said helical partition,which in turn is disposed concentrically about the said inner cylinderto form inner and outer helical passages concentrically disposed betweensaid inner and outer cylinders, said helical partition being so disposedthat its open end abuts against the aforesaid head of the inner cylinderfor retention thereof; and a compression spring which is held at one endin a recess in the said mouthpiece and which at its other end abutsagainst and retains the said helical partition, the foregoing partsbeing so disposed that, in operation, suction on the mouthpiece causessmoke to flow from the socket head, successively through the innercylinder, the said inner helical passage, the said outer helicalpassage, and the mouthpiece into the smokers mouth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS296,417 Lange Apr. 8, 1884 331,569 Tappe Dec. 1, 1885 1,652,572Highfield Dec. 13, 1927 1,935,052 Hayden Nov. 14, 1933 2,164,982 BeaudryJuly 4, 1939

